How to Hire a Freelancer on Giggrabbers

We’ve made hiring a freelancer pretty easy. You can post your projects in less than 5 minutes and receive proposals from talented freelancers today.

To begin, sign up or log in to your account, then click the Start a Project icon at the upper right corner of your screen.

 

 

Afterwards, decide whether you’d like to hire one freelancer or a team of freelancers. Click start a project. If you’d like to build a team, read this article.

 

 

The next step requires you to provide some more information about what you’d like the freelancer to work on. Set your budget and click next.

 

Give your project a title, select the most appropriate job category, and a target date to complete the project. Click continue.

 

Review your project details and click post.

That’s it! Skilled and talented freelancers will be alerted that you’re looking and will reach out via a proposal.

If you’re too busy to manage the hiring process, you can request a specialist for $49.95. Specialists will evaluate your projects, vet freelancers and hire the best candidate for the job.

Enjoy hiring!

Need vacation ideas? Here are 10 unique places to travel

Each time we’re feeling like we need a break, we dream of unique places to travel. These inspiring holiday destinations won’t only gift their visitors with unforgettable views and experiences, but will also open their minds and hearts.

 

1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

If you are fascinated by futuristic metropolis, Dubai is the perfect destination for an unforgettable vacation. The city is home to the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, and the world’s largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall. Other attractions include the artificial islands and some of the best beaches on the planet. Moreover, when you think that in the 1970s Dubai was a small tribal city, you will be amazed by what it looks like now. The cost for a 5-day holiday in Dubai is about $1,400.

 

2. Maldives

The Maldives is a great choice for a dream holiday, a unique exotic destination with white sand beaches, turquoise lagoons, and coral reef reserves. The Maldives is the ideal place to relax and forget about noise, bustling, and stress. The rate for a 5-day trip in the Maldives averages at approximately $3,000.

 

3. Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is a spectacular blend of the East and West, combining traditional Vietnamese culture with the French colonial flair. Fortunately, the city has remained untouched by war and is now more vibrant and active than ever. The Old Quarter is one of the largest markets in the world, and the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, which emphasizes the role of women in Vietnamese history, certainly deserves a visit. For a 5-day vacation in Hanoi, you’ll spend about $400. Yes, crazy cheap and totally worth it!

 

4. Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is a thousand-years-old lively city in Turkey, spreading between Europe and Asia, and between Christianity and Islam. The place is famous for its delicious cuisine, wonderful coffee, bustling bazaars and old architecture, with mosques and churches standing side by side. At the end of a sightseeing day, make sure you take some time to relax in a traditional Turkish bath, called hammam. $800 is the approximate amount of money you’ll spend for a 5-day holiday in Istanbul.

 

5. Siem Reap, Cambodia

Although the city is relatively new, it is surrounded by the ancient remains of the Temple Town, Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. What Angkor Wat offers in terms of spirituality, adventure, and exploration, Siem Reap offers in terms of rest, shopping, entertainment, and relaxation. It’s a very affordable place, as well; for a 5-day trip, you’ll only have to pay about $500.

 

6. Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town has a unique setting, being surrounded by sea and beautiful beaches on one side and by an awe-inspiring mountainous landscape on the other side. The city is one of the most cosmopolitan in Africa, and its colonial roots can still be noticed in its delightful architecture. The price for a 5-day vacation in Cape Town averages at $700.

 

7. Iceland

Many tourists looking for authentic experiences have turned Iceland into a sought-after holiday destination. The realm of ice and fire portrays some of the most beautiful monuments of nature, such as the Strokkur geyser, the thermal springs in the Blue Lagoon, or the impressive northern lights. A 5-day trip to outstanding Iceland will cost you around $1,400.

 

8. Havana, Cuba

The “forbidden fruit” of American tourism for more than 50 years, Cuba is now open for international visitors. The country offers a unique image of a culture frozen in time. Tourists in Havana can admire the local artisans’ crafts, the mesmerizing architecture, and the daily living of ordinary Cubans. This is the perfect time to visit Cuba before the country is transformed by Western influences. For a 5-day holiday in Havana, Cuba, you’ll need approximately $500.

 

9. Malaysia

Visiting Malaysia is like experiencing two different worlds. The peninsula is marked by Chinese and Indian influences manifested through the spiritual wealth of this modern nation. The Malaysian part of the Borneo island, on the other hand, offers the image of natural wilderness, with the mysterious and dense jungle where ancient cultures keep their traditions. If we add one of the world’s finest cuisines, Malaysia is certainly a delightful destination to check out. A 5-day holiday in Malaysia will cost you about $400.

 

10. Costa Rica

The jewel of Central America, Costa Rica reveals stunning ecosystems, tropical forests, mountains, rivers, volcanoes and beaches of the Pacific Ocean as well as the Caribbean Sea. The nation is an example in terms of environmental protection, a large part of the territory being protected by law. Locals are extremely welcoming and the country is a great destination for those who are looking for the purity of nature, but also a little adventure. $400 is the approximate cost for a 5-day trip to Costa Rica.

We hope we’ve inspired you with these gorgeous and unique places to visit. If you’ve already been in some of them, we’d love to hear about your experience. Additionally, if you have more recommendations, please let us know.

How to Market Yourself as a Freelancer

Marketing yourself is paramount for freelancers, as it’s certainly going to differentiate you from all the other independent contractors out there. And one of the most frequently asked questions among freelancers is ‘how can I successfully promote myself and attract clients?’ Well, with no further ado, here are some smart ways to get more eyes to your freelance business.

1. Use an e-mail signature

Simple as that and extremely efficient. As a freelancer, you’re going to be sending plenty of e-mails to prospects, other freelancers, and so on. So why not make the most out of this? Create a simple signature with your name, the services you offer, and your contact details. I’d also recommend adding a professional picture. Furthermore, if you have a website or a portfolio page, insert the link to your signature, so that people can get to know you better.

2. Share your portfolio online

Another great way to market yourself is to house your portfolio in a lot of different places. The online world is huge and there are many places where you can promote your work and services. Create a great portfolio with your best samples and add it to your website, to your LinkedIn profile, and any other freelance platforms you’ve joined.

3. Build a website

This doesn’t need to be anything complicated. Begin with getting a domain and a hosting service. Oh, and you don’t need any web designing skills, either (unless, of course, you’re a freelance web designer). Platforms like WordPress and Wix have a plethora of ready-to-use templates you can choose from. Therefore, opt for the one that best suits your business and list all the information you want your prospects to check out. Key sections to add to your website include the ‘About’, ‘Portfolio’, ‘Hire Me’ and ‘Contact’ pages. If you set up your website the right way, rest assured that work will start coming to you in a timely manner.

4. Embrace networking

Networking is, in fact, a way of expanding your circle of acquaintances. The main goal is to make yourself known by as many people as possible and eventually land a gig or get recommended when someone asks “Do you know a good freelance copywriter/ designer/developer?” There are multiple networking opportunities: from local business events and informal meetups to public speaking gatherings and job fairs, the list is endless. However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t be pushy when talking about your freelance business. Start with a laid-back conversation and let things flow as natural as possible towards your freelancing career.

5. Join freelancing platforms

Freelancing marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Giggrabbers and Toptal are awesome for marketing your services and landing new freelance jobs. Set up an account, write about your experience, past projects, skills, and qualifications. You can even include details about your education, courses you’ve taken, and conferences you’ve attended. Most platforms allow you to attach a resume and a portfolio and that’s a great way of having everything in one place. After you feel confident with your profile, browse for gigs and apply to the ones that seem like a good fit. Once you get your first assignments done, you’ll gain popularity, receive reviews, and potential clients will start inviting you to interview for remote jobs.

6. Use social media

Social media networks allow you to let everyone know that you’re a freelancer. Whether we’re talking about Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, don’t forget to mention your business in your description. Moreover, you can create dedicated branded pages that focus solely on your freelance services and maybe run some sponsored ads. LinkedIn is one of the key networks to be on, as it’s main aim is to connect professionals. You can easily get discovered by recruiters and get in touch with companies that are searching for independent contractors. Plus, you can join groups where like-minded freelancers exchange ideas and share opportunities.

7. Seek out client referrals

Once you’ve done a wonderful job for a client, don’t be ashamed to ask for referrals. If they’re happy with your work, they’ll be willing to recommend you to their business partners and acquaintances who are searching for a reliable freelancer.

All in all, keep in mind that you don’t need to pitch 24/7, hustle, or struggle in order to market your services. These simple, yet effective tips will help you grow your freelance business and get more clients in a jiffy. Break a leg!

 

7 Tasks A Freelance Graphic Designer Can Get Done for You

 

You’re probably wondering what exactly freelance graphic designers can do for your brand. Maybe you have a vague idea in mind, but here are some additional duties that you can assign to a remote professional. Let’s clear things up and talk about 7 graphic design tasks that can be done by a freelancer.

1. Improving on your company’s visual identity

First things first, you can make a freelance graphic designer in charge of working on your company’s visual identity. This comprises of a bunch of elements such as logo, slogan, colors, fonts, stationery (letterheads, folders, business cards, envelopes) and many other visual elements that help customers and partners recognize your brand or organization and represents an essential part of the communication strategy.

Regardless of the size of your company, graphic designers are able to work their magic and polish an awesome logo, as well as a flawless corporate kit. This will help you pave the way for your business’ future success but also keep your business appeal fresh and up to date. If this is something you need, you can start here.

2. Product packaging design

When you need to dress up your products in some brand new, eye-catching outfits, a skilled graphic designer will create the perfect appearance to match and highlight your items’ identity, as well as attract customers. The freelancer will make your products stand out, turn them into the target audiences’ signpost to the category, and drive them off the shelves. Moreover, the specialist will have practicality in mind; so we’re not only talking about the label or wrap, but also about the actual shape, size, and functionality of the packaging. You can find a graphic designer to take this on here.

3. Designing marketing materials

From brochures and flyers to postcards and posters, freelance graphic designers are able to design your well-needed marketing materials. This process requires research, creativity, and knowledge. Having these professionally crafted, your company will make a great impact and deliver a positive customer service experience. So, whenever you need to advertise an upcoming event, market your organization at conferences or job fairs, inform the target audience about your company, have a marketing package for potential partners and investors, or simply attract more customers, all you have to do is hire a talented graphic designer.

4. Creating infographics

Whenever you need a catchy visual representation of some information or data, get in touch with a freelance graphic designer. Infographics are great for synthesizing key facts for the audience, they are extremely shareable via social media, and enhance your organization’s online visibility. Although there are several online tools for creating infographics, they are not always able to match your company’s needs. Therefore, the safest option is to find a graphic designer who has a minimal experience with this kind of materials. All you need to do is to let the person in charge know about the branding guidelines (so that the style approached maintains the consistency of the messages that have been previously shared), as well as providing them with clear information about the results you’re looking for. To tackle this type of graphic design project, click here.

5. Ebook design

There are graphic designers who specialize in crafting your manuscript and can craft it into a finished ebook. For this task, you have to find someone with awesome digital design and typography skills, who understands e-readers and has a strong grasp of traditional book layout principles. (Click here to get started). These professionals will also help you if you plan to add some advanced formatting features as well as rich media (for example video and audio) to your ebook.

6. Book cover design

If you want outstanding book covers for your publications, a highly creative and innovative designer will be a perfect fit for this job. Besides the cover, designers can also work on the interior of the books. These individuals usually have a mastery of skills with Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Creative Suite, and InDesign – which is exactly what they need for achieving stellar results. Plus, their thorough understanding of design principles, composition, layout, and color are excellent for the great outcomes you’re looking for. If you’re looking to get your book cover designed, you can start here.

7. Designing e-mail newsletter

Graphic designers are able to craft visually appealing e-mails that get straight to the point and help you make the most of the brief chance you have with your target audience. A nicely created newsletter is essential for converting leads into customers, maintain engagement, and build long-term customer relationships. Think about it: people check their inbox every single day and they’re flooded with a bunch of promotional e-mails. You want yours to stand out, don’t you? Well, a beautiful design will not only please your audience’s eyes but will also make the text easier to read, call to actions easier to click, and people to stay away from that unsubscribe button.

It’s amazing how many tasks a freelance graphic designer can get done for you! Not to mention that everything happens remotely. Just make sure that you provide clear instructions and information about your project and expectations. To hire a freelance graphic designer to take on your project, click here.

7 Benefits of Hiring a Freelancer

Nowadays, the labor force is constantly becoming more fluid, embracing flexibility, and slowly shifting away from the classical 9-to-5 working hours. Companies that are able to adapt to change are certainly the ones that will get the upper hand. Most likely than not, your business is in need of skilled and knowledgeable professionals but is short of the required resources or doesn’t need full-time staff. These situations can be easily solved by hiring a freelancer.

Here are 7 mega-awesome benefits of working with freelance talent.

1. Vast Experience

Think about it – great freelance professionals have lots and lots of experience. They work on several projects for different businesses, which helps them constantly improve and expand their skills. Each and every task they do helps them add to their craft and valuable knowledge, building an impressive arsenal. As they are not full-time employees, they are always aiming at doing a flawless job and delivering wonderful outcomes in order to be hired again and get some good references and reviews – which also helps them enhance their expertise quickly and efficiently. Therefore, your beloved business stands to gain from all that broad experience. Awesome, right?

2. Immediacy and Quick Turnaround

Independent contractors are continuously focused on performing a superb job in a timely manner. Reliability and exceeding your expectations are high priorities for them, as they fully understand that meeting the deadlines and exceeding the client’s expectations are great ways to make a profit and be hired for other assignments in the future. When you’re collaborating with a freelance professional, you can forget about water-cooler chit chat, pointless meetings, or office politics – their goal is to get their job done as soon as possible and flawlessly.

3. Flexibility

One of the reasons why freelancers have decided to freelance is the flexibility of choosing their very own working hours. And this is an amazing benefit for your business, as well. Let’s say you own a shop that is only open from 9 to 6. However, your target audience is mainly browsing the World Wide Web early morning (before they get to work) and during the evening (after they get out of work). Therefore, if you want to get your potential customers’ attention, the best time to be active on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), to update your blog, or to send newsletters is before and after business hours. And here is where the freelancers’ flexibility kicks in – they will craft their schedule in order to do the job at the right time, without worrying about classical working shifts. This is just one of the examples of how your independent contractor’s flexibility can work wonders for you, but there are so many others! Not to mention that if you hire a freelancer that works during weekends, you can even e-mail him or her assignments at the end of the week and have them done by Monday. Yes, you’ve heard it right!

4. Affordability and 5, Independence

When you’re hiring a freelancer who is working from the comfort of his or her home, you don’t have to worry about overhead costs. This also allows the independent contractor to charge affordable rates while covering their insurances and other expenses. While it’s nice having full-time employees who can bond, there are jobs that can be done in a cost-effective and efficient way by freelance talent. Of course, price does not have to be the only and main factor when you choose the freelancer you’re going to hire, but as long as you ask the right questions, rest assured you will get top-notch work at pocket-friendly rates.

Freelancers are used to working on their own and are able to contribute to the business bottom line right away. You will, therefore, skip the hassle you go through every time when you employ on-site staff and have to spend time and money on training long before seeing any tangible results. With freelancers, it’s enough to define your expectations, the work parameters, provide them with useful resources, and they’re good to go. Simple as that!

6. Innovation at its Finest

Usually, freelancers have the tendency to be more innovative and keep up to date with new ideas, cutting edge technology, as well as being extremely receptive to suggestions. Unlike many corporations, independent contractors are generally not dealing with pre-conceived attitudes, which gives them the freedom to offer amazing innovative ideas and easily put them into practice. Therefore, they can come up with novel solutions to any of your business issues.

7. Freedom

When you hire a freelancer, you have the absolute freedom of conveniently collaborating with an independent contractor on a need basis. This means that you don’t have to engage a full-time employee – you are able to collaborate with an external expert who will help you with streamlining your business only when you need it.

As you can see, it makes great business sense hiring freelance talent. There are a bunch of benefits of collaborating with independent contractors whose entrepreneurial spirit is lively and thriving. And, as more and more professionals are leaving their full-time jobs and choose the freelancing path, you will find the right expert in no time!

To hire a freelancer for one of your projects, click here.

7 Key Tips to Get Market Feedback about Your Business Idea

So you’ve got your business idea, now the important thing is to get honest feedback to be sure your assumption is worth following through.

This step is crucial – an assumption about what the market needs or wants is great, but if it isn’t embraced by your target customer you’ll end up spending time, effort, and money unnecessarily.

Here are our 7 effective tips on how to get feedback from your target market.

 

 

1. Define your Target Market

This step almost seems so obvious that it doesn’t need to be stated, but defining your target market is perhaps the single most important step.

If you’re asking the wrong people about your idea, you’re going to get inaccurate feedback. This feedback will incorrectly alter your perception of your idea which may lead you down the wrong path. It’s just as bad not following a great idea through as it is following a bad idea through which won’t sell.

Objectively define your target market. Who will benefit most from your product? Do they have a likely age range? A particular area they live or work in?

Honestly answering these questions will allow you to tailor your approach, maximizing your chances of reaching the right people and getting the right feedback. Plus, you’ll save a ton of time by not getting having conversations with the wrong set of people.

 

2. Get Over The Idea That You Shouldn’t Tell People Your Idea for Fear of Them ‘Stealing it’

 Working with entrepreneurs (and being one myself), this is a phrase I have heard more times than I can count.

‘My idea is amazing, but I don’t want to tell other people because they might steal it.’

The only time anyone would actually put the effort into copying your idea is only if you make a huge success out of it, at which point it wouldn’t matter anyway because you would already be successful. And from the looks of it, the copycat never really wins.

The simple fact is, if you have a great idea, the best thing you can do is share your idea with everyone you can.

Now don’t get me wrong, in the last tip we’ve said that you should strictly define your target market, but there’s no harm in telling people who are not part of your target market because they may know other people who’d benefit from what you have to offer.

The trick is not to put nearly as much emphasis on opinions from people who are not from your target market; they won’t directly know the benefits/drawbacks of your idea because they won’t be thinking as potential customers.

3. Ask Your Potential Customers Face-to-Face

Physically asking your potential customers for feedback is hugely valuable. Asking specific questions and having conversations face-to-face can bring you highly valuable information that no other form of feedback can.

Face to face we’re much better able to read facial expressions and body language, getting a feel for what someone really thinks. Maybe they’ll be animated and enthusiastic, maybe they’ll be a bit more held-back, or maybe they’ll want more information and turn into one of your first customers.

The drawback of this method is something called ‘demand characteristics’ – that people may tell you what you want to hear. By and large though, these people are few and far-between. To alleviate thiss, remember to ask open-ended questions as much as possible.

4. Ask People Already in the Industry

If you can find anyone already in the industry your idea is based in, you can gain massively valuable feedback because it comes from a place of knowledge and practical experience. Imagine talking to Tiger about golf club comfortability. Imagine the value of the feedback you’d get from him.

This type of feedback is unique, the type your potential customers won’t be able to directly give you. One of the dangers, though, is in making sure not to ask someone who is a potential competitor. If they are, then of course their advice will be biased to their own interests.

If you manage to find someone objective however, their feedback will be as honest as it comes, because they’ll have nothing to lose in offering their advice.

 

5. Survey Your Target Market Online

Creating your own online survey is hugelyeasy these days. Using google surveys or the plethora of survey websites makes it so simple to get feedback on anything at all.

Online surveying can bring you huge feedback. If you go out for a day and speak to people face-to-face, you may be able to speak to 40-50 max. Because people can fill surveys in simultaneously, you have the opportunity to get massive amounts of data/feedback from relatively little effort.

The trick with this method is to ask the right questions and get your survey in front of the right people. Keep your questions short and concise, people don’t want to spend too much time on things they don’t get much out of.

Ask 2/3 questions at the beginning to define whether the person is a potential customer, then ask the most important questions to whether your idea will be well received. Keep it short, sweet and to the point.

 

 

6. Use Social Media Channels

Everyone is on social media these days. Putting surveys or questions on blast using multiple social media channels has the potential to bring you all the honest feedback you could ever need.

Facebook, LinkedIn and others offer specific targeting to get content in front of exactly who you want. Facebook charges relatively little to allow you to choose the age-range, location, gender plus other factors of who you’d like to target.

In this way you could share a survey or create content (like an article, blog post, video etc) with valuable content which then asks for feedback.

The great thing about online feedback is that people are more honest than in real life. Because it’s online, there isn’t much consequence on comments so generally people are far more willing to say what they really think.

This type of feedback can be invaluable and will help you make an informed decision on your idea.

7. Offer Something in Return for Feedback

 

Okay, maybe not that much…but we’re all busy these days and as a general rule people won’t be inclined to do something if they won’t get much out of it.

The way to get around this is to offer something small in exchange for someone’s feedback or opinion.

The trick is to give something which would be massively valuable to your target market, and less so to everyone else. Here’s where you’ll have to get creative; what would your target market really benefit from, but which won’t cost you a lot?

The best answer for this is specific information. You have your target market – think about what information they would benefit from and offer that in exchange for their honest feedback. Perhaps an article or a very short free e-book which you would then give them on receiving their feedback.

This will entice your potential customers to communicate and connect with you and because it’s online, they’re more likely to be honest. This also has the added bonus of catching their email addresses so you can stay connected with them for future.

 

Who are we?

A bunch of super cool tech junkies. Try out our innovative biz dev platform here and let us know what you think.

 

How to Finance Your Startup in 8 Effective Ways

(Here’s the link to the original article)

 

So you have your business idea, your business plan, (or business model canvas if you’re an early-stage startup (check out how to make your business model canvas here), and validated its need in the market, now you need the means to get it off the ground.

Ultimately the question of how to finance your startup depends on your circumstances and what kind of business you’re starting.

There are quite a few different roads available, some can be simultaneously walked down whilst others may give you all the capital you require plus a bit extra. Let’s take a look at some of these avenues.

1. Bootstrapping

 

From the old saying ‘pull up your bootstraps’, bootstrapping means to finance your business yourself, without any outside help.

This options viability depends on your personal finances and the type of venture you’re starting. If you have a substantial amount saved and your business doesn’t call for a huge amount of start-up capital and initial running cost, it’s entirely possible to commence using just your own funds.

Bootstrapping is an effective financing method if you can afford it – you won’t owe anyone anything and you’ll answer only to yourself. It is important, however, to choose wisely and take into account possible worst case scenarios.

What happens if the business fails, can you afford to lose that much capital? How long can you afford to finance the business yourself without any sales coming in?

As the old saying goes, ‘don’t put all of your eggs in one basket’. If you’re going to bootstrap, be sure to use a sensible portion of your finances, not all of them, and always take into account living and personal costs.

2. Friends and Family

Seeking funds from friends and family is probably one of the first ports of call and can be an effective form of financing.

Friends and family know you personally, so they’re more likely to lend to you and far less likely to ask for interest on return, plus they’ll be more flexible on repayment timing. However, this method can be somewhat treacherous.

Often, family relations and good friends don’t make the best business connections. If the business doesn’t go so well, will you be able to pay them back? Are you willing to potentially sour a relationship for funding? If you’re asked for a slice of your business in exchange, are you willing to let that person have a say in your business, or pay out the same percentage in equity?

3. Bank Loans

It’s only logical to seek a bank loan when looking for finance. There are government schemes which help provide bank loans to start-up enterprises, depending on which country you live in – a simple web search will provide the information needed.

Bank loans, of course, come with interest added onto the repayments. It’s worth shopping around for the best rates and perks, as some come with added extra’s like accounting software packages and web building tools.

You’ll need a clear business plan and an idea of where your revenue will come from before a bank will even consider you, and many will require assets to guarantee the loan.

4. Angel Investors

These are private individuals who have often succeeded in business themselves and are now looking to invest their own money.

An angel investor will want a share of equity in return for their investment and will often offer business coaching and mentoring, in part to impart their wisdom, in part to speed up return on investment.

It’s difficult to come up with hard rules on this type of financing – each investor will have their own preference of industry and their own business coaching style.

If you’re able to find one who takes a shine to your idea or you as a person, then not only could you get funding, but you’ll also likely gain a valuable asset to the business.

5. Venture Capitalists

VC’s are in business to make large amounts of money in relatively short time frames, so they go for big projects (we’re talking millions). It’s unlikely they’ll be interested in early-days and pre-revenue start-ups.

If you’ve got big plans and a hugely scalable idea though, it’s worth trying to meet a few VC’s. If you get one, their expertise, market contacts and sheer amount of cash could skyrocket your venture to dizzying heights – just make sure you have a viable exit strategy before you get into bed with a VC.

6. Credit Cards

Perhaps not the best method, but financing on credit cards can work if you’re sure that you’ll be making profit soon enough to cover the monthly repayments.

It’s best to shop around for the lowest rates, but be careful when it comes to spending on plastic, if you don’t strictly keep up with repayments the monthly charges can add up very quickly.

If this method must be used, it’s best in the beginning when you require small amounts of money for short periods, it’s by no means a viable long term option.

7. Grants

Governments provide grants for a whole range of business ventures. Science, the arts and engineering are just some industries where grants are available.

It’s definitely worth searching online for what grants may be available to you. Application processes are usually quite long and you’ll have to jump through a few hoops, but securing a government grant can give your business serious credibility in the market place. A quick web search for ‘business grants’ will give you an idea of what could be available to you.

8. Crowdfunding

Perhaps the newest and most fashionable form of financing. Crowdfunding is where large amounts of people each give you small amounts of money which add up to (hopefully) large amounts of finance. Read our article on effective crowdfunding tips here.

In return you’ll have to give them something, of course, depending on the amount a person gives. Small contributions could get them a mention on your site or your marketing, for larger pledges you could give out freebies, first chances to sample your product, or even shares and equity.

Crowdfunding success lies largely in how well you can connect to the general masses. If your business strikes a chord with people, for example something environmentally friendly or altruistic, or if you’re looking to provide real technological advancement for example, crowdfunding could do quite well for you.

The second important thing about reaching people through this method is delivery. People must be able to very obviously see your unique value proposition or be able to relate to you in some way.

You can start a crowdfunding campaign here or through sites like crowdcube.com and kickstarter.com.

7 Emergency Ideas Startup Entrepreneurs Should Adapt Now

Several startup entrepreneurs have great ideas in mind but fail to turn them into successful businesses because of some common and avoidable mistakes known to the startup world. Were they avoided, these entrepreneurs might have been another set of names among celebrity founders like Mark Zuckerburg and Evan Spiegel. So, what has WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Uber and AirBnb (to name a few companies) done that other businesses failed to do? And what are some of the mistakes that most of them avoided to procure success? Let’s take a look below.

1. Conduct Feasibility Studies

Startup businesses usually start with an idea fueled by a deep intrinsic motivation to make it a reality. While that’s great, founders often assume their business ideas will work without adequately researching their respective industry and market. There’s a reason you’ll see this mentioned as a commonly made mistake in several entrepreneurial and startup articles – and thankfully so. Studying the industry and the market you plan to enter will provide invaluable insight and information necessary for success. Questions like “Will my business work for all age groups or will it just work for millennials?” are crucial to consider, research, and answer before doing anything else, even so much as designing a logo (no pun intended). Answering these questions can also help founders assess whether their current savings is enough or whether funding sources like angel investors, venture firms, or crowdfunding services are needed in the short term. Entrepreneurs who know their market and industry and can determine how their business fits in, will be rewarded nicely.

2. Develop a Business Plan 

Since the dawn of time, a promise by word of mouth is less valuable than the tangible. In this case, your business plan is the tangible word and foundation to your idea. An idea remains nothing but an idea until it has been carefully outlined and translated into planned out thoughts and action. Ask Napoleon Hill. There are no countries without borders and there is no business without a business plan. Business plans help in several ways and here are a few things to consider when developing yours:

• It should clearly state what problem your business is addressing.
• It should clearly describe how your business will address the problem.
• It should clearly explain how you plan to create a sustainable (and profitable depending on your business) company.

Successful founders avoid being naive and thinking their idea is quick and easy to execute. Rather, they are diligent and execute a critical thinking process every step of the way. Successful founders write down ideas and organize their thoughts to achieve better results.

3. Create an Online Presence

It’s 2016 in the 21st century. Successful entrepreneurs use the online world to build momentum. A commonly asked question to business owners is, “Do you have a website?” or “Is there an app?” Companies without an online presence risk being seen as unprofessional, strange, and non-friendly to the consumer. Successful startups take advantage of social media platforms to reach their audience, adapt extensive engagement strategies such as email marketing, and attempt to increase organic engagement. These strategies should help produce better results and positive earnings at the end of the fiscal year. Most successful companies have a modern and user-friendly website that’s also mobile friendly. If you can afford to, consider investing in a mobile app for all common devices. Find bloggers in your industry or niche to write about your product, submit press releases, and utilize Google Analytics to monitor various online metrics.

4. Build a Strong Team

Relationships are key to successful startups despite many of the stories we’ve seen where business partners go after each other in court. People tend to ignore the fact that those “fall-outs” usually happened after the company grew. Focus on building a strong team of diverse individuals with different skills and strengths. They’ll have their weaknesses (as much as you do) and might not necessarily be passionate about your business (which is fine). Settle personal differences early on and build a coercive front. As the saying goes, “It’s not personal. It’s business.”

5. Share Equity

There’s always a global economic crisis (check the news) and one thing that individuals wouldn’t mind opting for is ownership, especially in a successful or promising company. Sharing out equity to potential partners has its benefits when relationships and commitments are clearly defined. Owning equity in a company changes one’s relationship from associate/employee to “part owner”, thereby increasing that individual’s stake in the business. There’s now a greater sense of responsibility towards the startup and stronger desire for the company to succeed. Handing out equity is a nice way to keep your startup running, so avoid a take-it-all approach and share some of the pie.

6. Be Smart and Financially Conservative

Fundraising can be a pain but when it goes well, you’ll be able to bring all the prospects of your startup to life; however, be smart and conservative with your finances. Avoid buying expensive services early on. Failing to do so might thwart the progress of your startup and certainly avoidable with the range of online resources available. Always remain keen on your objectives and try to cut costs and save time by outsourcing tasks and connecting with multi-talented individuals who can effectively take on one or two roles. Outsource through platforms like Giggrabbers to save money while bringing your startup to life.

7. Determination

Many well-established companies have been praised and dressed with a number of awards for their innovations and success, but people often ignore the challenges that stood as temporary roadblocks along the way. Startups are made to make or break and it takes extreme determination and discipline to obtain the former. Everyone won’t say yes to you the first time around and all your strategies and plans won’t work out the way you want it; but be determined and resilient. Friends and colleagues might say, “Hey, your product is great!” but never buy it, and your response to that and similar challenges will determine your success. Dr. Charles Stanley once said, “Disappointments are inevitable but discouragement is a choice.” You have the power to stop or be determined enough to startup your company even when the engine fails to start.

Adapt and/or maintain these tips while avoiding the mistakes outlined above and you’ll be well on your way to building a successful startup.

Giggrabbers – The World’s First Combined Crowdfunding and Outsourcing Platform!

Giggrabbers is an online crowdfunding, outsourcing, and project visualization platform that helps individuals and businesses bring their projects and idea to life. It’s the first and only platform of its kind. In fact, crowdfunding has never been combined with online outsourcing as a service. What Giggrabbers provides is novel and very helpful to users looking to start a venture and find funding.

By combining crowdfunding, outsourcing and visual mapping tools into one software, Giggrabbers improves a user’s project management experience. Individuals and businesses can now raise funds for each task of a project through a crowdfunding campaign, outsource those tasks to freelancers, and visually map out the tasks within their project using an interactive circle-spoke wheel diagram. It’s pretty cool actually and here’s how it works:

1. Project Visualization: The project visualization tool can be used to map out simple unrelated tasks (called a simple project) or a group of tasks that relate to one big project (called complex projects). Complex projects require a user to first indicate the type of project being pursued. Based on the project type, the user answers “yes” or “no” to a questionnaire around likely tasks. For example, the questionnaire for a venture/entrepreneurial projects would ask the question: “Do you need a website?” or “Do you need a mobile app developer?” and if the user answers yes, the platform adds the task to the circle spoke wheel diagram and proceeds to the next question. This happens until all questions are viewed or eight tasks are added to the wheel diagram. For each task, the user is then asked to provide a brief description, identify their budget range, and specify a desired date of completion. (This information can be modified later.)

 

Giggrabbers’ Project Visualization

 

2. Online Outsourcing: After all tasks have been described and posted to the jobs page, the user can monitor job proposals from freelancers, namely “giggrabbers” until one is selected for each task. Additionally, a project page is created where users can view and track feedback from supporters and monitor the crowdfunding and overall project progress. The most important features of this service are that users can enjoy enhanced and interactive functionality when working on big projects. By allowing users to visually map out and outsource tasks, Giggrabbers’ circle spoke wheel prompts users to approach outsourcing as a big project kind of thing, unlike any other outsourcing platforms, allowing for a more holistic approach to project management.

Giggrabbers’ Outsourcing Tool

3. Crowdfunding: The most unique feature about the way crowdfunding works on Giggrabbers is are that funds can only be used towards hiring a freelancer to work on a project. In fact, funds can be restricted towards a specific task within the project or budget item within a task. For example, in funding a venture/entrepreneurial project that requires website development, an investor can select the website development task to fund. If the investor wishes to fund something more specific, he or she can fund a budget item within that website development task (e.g. down-payment, 1st milestone, 2nd milestone, etc.) As a result, crowdfunders have more flexibility and transparency when choosing to fund a project. They can be more certain that funds are used in a way that furthers the development of the project.

 

Giggrabbers’ Crowdfunding Tool

Every individual with a viable idea should have a fair shot at bringing it to life. In that regard, Giggrabbers exists to improve the chances of a user’s success when indulging in a project. By making big improvements to the way crowdfunding and outsourcing works, Giggrabbers hopes to bring ideas and projects to life for people around the world.

Try it today: www.giggrabbers.com

Giggrabbers is the world’s only online crowdfunding and outsourcing platform.

 

Giggrabbers – Best Online Outsourcing and Crowdfunding Outlet

Are you a freelancer looking for work? Are you craving for a start-up in a world where global economic crisis has become the keyword in every discussion and debate? Giggrabbers is a platform like no other; it is the only online outsourcing/crowdfunding platform that you can find on the face of the earth.

Believe me; I have been freelancing for over six years. I started writing on Triond, Experts Column, Bubblews and then made the transition to Elance, Guru, Freelancer and Odesk “(before it became Upwork),” Craigslist, People per Hour, Write Jobs amongst other platforms.

 

Giggrabbers – An online crowdfunding, outsourcing, and project visualization platform.

 

 

Giggrabbers is new and different. There are many talents out there in the niches of writing, music, technology, film and in other artistic endeavors but few of them seem to have the capital to propel them to greater heights in life because of high interest rates, leaving consumers with few options like crowdfunding.

There are so many crowdfunding websites available with the popular ones being Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. These platforms have provided invaluable support to numerous talents but Giggrabbers is the only platform with a two-in-one approach.

Giggrabbers Two in One Approach

Flexible Crowdfunding

Like all online outsourcing and freelance websites, there are two options when you want to sign join the website. When you click on WORK then it means that you want to offer your services either through blogging, web design or others to help a client in a project – in other words, “gig-grabbing.”

The other is clicking on HIRE. Clicking on this option means that you want to offer work to freelancers which is done by all the other outlets, but here’s the difference: Giggrabbers provides two options labeled SIMPLE PROJECT and COMPLEX PROJECT. The simple project offers options like other freelance websites but the COMPLEX PROJECT provides options such as Business Development, Event, Property Management and Venture (Entrepreneurship).

With this option chosen, Giggrabbers knows the plight of start-ups as projects typically require a lot of hands, so it utilizes a circle-spoke wheel tool that helps visualize and map out tasks in your projects.

 

Project Visualization

 

As an add-on, a crowdfunding campaign is automatically generated and started so that friends and family would be able to view your project, and as per the budget you provide and how viable your project is, they start to make deposits in order to see you realize your potential as an entrepreneur, a property manager in real estate, an event host or someone whose quest is to help people develop their business.

Crowdfunding comes with a lot of positives and with the development of several platforms “(thanks to the introduction of many online payment systems)” individuals have taken advantage of the technology by sourcing out funds and using the money accumulated to start their respective carriers something that Giggrabbers humbly provides to start-ups and individual entrepreneurs.

Crowdfunding Tracker

Not only that, but many people have a problem with Intellectual Property, and therefore in order to avoid proprietary issues, they often avoid all forms of crowdfunding. Giggrabbers is set in New York and it is regulated under the State of New York Laws so has the authenticity and credibility of both inventors and investors at heart.

Aside that, funds are sourced through the number one and the most used online payment system, Braintree Payments, a PayPal subsidiary, so payments are secure and can be refunded.

There are countless online outsourcing and crowdfunding platforms now thanks to the easy creation of websites through CSS, HTML and PHP documents; however, none of them provide two services as a combined product, something that is only available by Giggrabbers.

Are you looking for work? Are you looking to grab an opportunity? Do you have a project that requires a mastermind but do not where to turn to because you lack the funds as well as the human resource.

What are you waiting for? Sign up to Giggrabbers now and change your freelancing and crowdfunding life for the better.

https://www.giggrabbers.com/